


A New Hope

by rndv18_6y



Series: Loona Gang AU [1]
Category: K-pop, LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gangs, Hyejoo's struggling but she'll get there, No Smut, haseuls THAT girl, honestly I just love mafia/gang aus, loona 1/3 - Freeform, mother haseul, oec, so here, take loona gang au, yyxy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:13:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23836684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rndv18_6y/pseuds/rndv18_6y
Summary: When Hyejoo left her house, she expected the day would go as normal, as it always did, so it's understandable that she wasn't prepared for her life to flip the way it did.(Yeah uh as you can tell summaries aren't really my thing)
Series: Loona Gang AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1717561
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	1. The Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thanks for picking this to read! This is the first piece of fanfiction that I've uploaded in a while, so there's probably some issues here and here, but I hope that won't be a problem. This is also my first bit of loona fanfiction!

The door behind Hyejoo fell shut with a deafening bang, but she knew that her parents wouldn't notice. They were having a fight ; their voices would have easily masked the sound of the door, as they had many times before. This knowledge didn't make Hyejoo any less nervous. 

She ran down the steps outside her home and landed on her crowded and dimly lit street. Hyejoo liked these nights best, when her job was just the littlest bit easier. Pick-pocketing was difficult to do in the daylight, and in her area, most people seemed to have the intelligence to recognise that they should stay home after dark. Tonight they seemed to ignore the unspoken rule.

Hyejoo never liked to pickpocket. It made her feel guilty and sick, but it was one of the only ways to make money. Her mother tried to hide it, but Hyejoo knew that they were dangerously low on money, even with her father wasting away, trying to work extra jobs. At the end of the day, Hyejoo justified her actions to herself saying that the original owners wouldn't miss their items, or that the ends justified the means. It was getting harder to convince herself of that with every passing day.

Her usual route was quickly chosen, and Hyejoo began her job; gliding down the street, bumping into people here, and complimenting people there. Whatever was needed to get into their pockets. She passed a woman bending over to scold her child, and slipped her hand into the woman's back-pocket, pulling out a handful of notes that she deposited into her own pocket. She 'accidentally' walked into a stern businessman on his way back from work, steadying herself on his arm and snatching his watch while she was at it. These people, it was easier to steal from. People who she imagined weren't grateful for what they had, or nice to other people. These were the people she targeted the most.

Sometimes, though, there were chances that Hyejoo just couldn't pass up.

She got to the road at the end of her street and watched as an old man tried to cross, and realised that nobody was letting him. Her chest puffed in outrage and stalked into the road, holding up one hand at the oncoming cars. The old man had been so grateful and happy, and politely thanked her when she reached his side. She offered to walk him across the road and he graciously accepted it. Hyejoo tried not to think about it as she snaked her arm that was not looped through him to his pocket, seizing the first object she could find. It wasn't until after they had crossed the road that she examined the snatched object, only to realise it was a ring. A wedding ring.

Hyejoo grimaced and tightened her grip on it, choices and options flitting through her mind at speeds that made her dizzy. These were the moments where her conscience came into conflict with her job, guilt worming its way into her heart the longer she thought about keeping the ring. 

"Sir-" she called, but not very loudly, still somehow undecided on what to do. The old man continued walking, having not heard her, an air of loneliness surrounding him. It was this that made Hyejoo act for certain.

"Sir!" She shouted, speeding up in an attempt to catch the man. People made way for her as she hurried along, the ones who didn't sent baffled and annoyed looks her way, until she reached the man's side and gripped his sleeve to grab his attention. "Excuse me, sir. You… dropped this earlier." Her excuse sounded lame even to her own ears, and she opened up her hand to reveal the ring in the centre of her palm.

The old man seemed to buy it though, and that was good enough. He gently took the ring from her hand and laughed slightly, before pocketing it again. 

"It seems I'll have to find a way for it to stay put then. I don't know what I would have done if this was lost. It belonged to my wife, you see, but she died last ye-" a sniff cut him off and Hyejoo rushed to comfort the man, placing her hand on his shoulder and giving him a soft smile. "Thank you for returning it. I'll forever be grateful for this." The man gave her a tight-lipped smile and clasped her hand in his for a moment, before he walked into the nearest shop.

Hyejoo was uncomfortable and she wasn't sure if she was able to continue for the night, but as she felt the collection of stolen goods in her pocket, she knew she didn't have a choice.

She continued her patrol, not being able to steal anything else, until she spotted a woman, bending over a car. The car is what truly hinted towards this woman's wealth, even with her stunning beauty and high end clothes. The woman was driving a Hyundai Grandeur. This was a woman, Hyejoo knew, that wouldn't miss a few things from her pocket.

Hyejoo edged closer to this woman as she fiddled with the lock on the car, and looked away as her hand made its way into this woman's pocket. She nearly shrieked when a hand grasped her wrist.

"Hey there, what do you think you're doing?" The smile that met Hyejoo when she looked up at the woman was almost predatory. Hyejoo's chest tightened and she tried to pull her wrist away but the other woman had it in a vice-like grip.

She opened her mouth to blurt out any excuse that came to mind, but the woman cut her off before she could even start. "You know, this area is pretty heavily policed. Imagine what would have happened if they or someone a lot less forgiving than me had caught you. You really ought to be more careful."

Hyejoo flushed with embarrassment, a frown on her face as she scoffed. "I've done this a lot. I know the dangers of doing it around here." She had meant to sound confident but somehow distaste had crept into her voice and left the statement full of resentment.

She watched as the other woman's smile became less predatory and more playful, heart quickening in nervousness about whatever this woman was about to say. Whatever she was expecting, though, was not what came out.

"Oh I know." There was a mischievous gleam in her eyes and Hyejoo's breath caught in fear. "We've been watching you for a long time." 

Hyejoo tried to yank her hand from the woman's grip again, panicked at the woman's admission, but the woman held strong and tightened her grip even further, but her panic subsided into confusion as she watched the woman's eyes and smile turn soft and gentle.

"I know this isn't what you thought would happen today, and you have every reason to be cautious, but I am here to offer you..." the woman trailed off, seemingly trying to find the best word. She found it quickly enough and bounced back into her speech. "Offer you an alternative to this. To pickpocketing."

Hyejoo stilled in her attempts to get away. She looked over the woman, trying to find a hint that she was being dishonest, or that she was just joking and was going to throw her to the police, and when she found none, raised her eyes back to the woman's face. She straightened her shoulders and put on the best poker face she could.

"What would I get out of it?"

The response was another thing she wasn’t expecting of the woman. A laugh, and another genuine smile. The woman seemed to have expected Hyejoo's question though, as she continued her speech with ease. "You'd be able to earn money. Real money. Not what you get from pawning off whatever you pick-pocket." Hyejoo noticed she hesitated before continuing. "And… you'll also get a second family, if you accept my offer."

This was the part that struck Hyejoo. Sure, not having to pickpocket again would be great, but the idea of having a second family? Her chest warmed and she bit her lip. She never was popular with the other kids, and even though she knew her mother and father cared for her, it was never enough. 

She had been quiet for too long, Hyejoo realised, noticing the frown that was beginning to take over the older woman's features. The woman had begun to open her mouth, but it was Hyejoo's turn to cut her off.

"Yes. I would..like that. I would like that a lot." She flushed at the forwardness of her answer but didn't have time to think over it, and the beaming smile of the woman in front of her overtook any anxiety she had about sounding desperate.

"Oh thank you for giving this a chance! Let me just grab a pen, and I'll write something for you to follow so we can discuss it more later." The woman released Hyejoo's hand and shoved her own into the bag that was in the passenger seat, and withdrew a pen. She spun back to Hyejoo and grabbed her hand again before writing on it with neat cursive writing.

The woman pulled away, eyeing the writing that was left before nodding decisively, and stuffing her pen into her bag again. Hyejoo looked down herself and smiled a little, reading the little note.

'21:00, I'll meet you outside your house - Haseul'

When she looked back up the woman -Haseul, Hyejoo corrected herself- was in her car, and beamed when Hyejoo nodded at her. She turned the car on and Hyejoo jumped back as the loud rumble echoed down the small street, Haseul's laugh accompanying it. 

She looked at Hyejoo and winked as she shouted over the car's engine, "keep the change!" and pulled out of her space, before she sped off down the road, leaving Hyejoo in awe at the whirlwind of a woman she just met. 

She blinked to try and bring herself out of the false reality that she was sure she had created. She was finding it hard to believe that it was real, but the rumble of the car that could still be heard and the writing on her hand proved it to be. Haseul's last comment confused her though. 'Keep the change?' Hyejoo could only shrug and stuff her hands in her pockets, but she froze when she felt more than she had looted.

She shakily withdrew her hands, grasping the unknown objects in them. 50,000 Won Notes. 5 of them. Hyejoo felt her heart stop. She never even turned her back on Haseul once, she was unsure how Haseul could have even slipped them in. She knew that it was money that could not go to waste though, and immediately ran towards the direction of the shop that the old man from before had stepped into.

So caught up in her confusion and awe was she, that she didn't notice the sound of a laugh and the brown locks of a woman that disappeared around a corner, one who had been watching the whole thing.


	2. The Old Restaurant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyejoo and Haseul meet again, as she is being lead to her new life

Haseul stood in the quietness of the night with her arms wrapped around herself to fight off the cold, lost in thought as she waited for Hyejoo to slip out of her house. The fact that Hyejoo agreed to meet Haseul was still shocking to herself, and proved to Haseul that her judgement on the raven haired girl was correct : that she was desperate. Haseul couldn’t blame her for accepting her offer so quickly; not when she knew this area so well. Hyejoo wasn’t and wouldn’t be the last desperate youth around this particular part.

As she was musing, Hyejoo’s window slid open, the girl in question climbing through it. She let herself fall and landed without a sound other than a dull thud. ‘Experience is the only thing that lets someone move that quietly’, Haseul noted.

The Ravenette briskly walked over to her; a seriousness that was lacking earlier, now showing through her every move. As she neared Haseul, though, the seriousness seeped away and awkwardness came to replace it, as Hyejoo thought over everything she had planned to say, and realised that they all fell too short. 

Haseul moved to greet her, unwrapping her arms from herself and tried to smile as openly as she could, letting the other girl know it was alright, but even she was nervous about how tonight would go and floundered in silence for a little, puzzling over what to say to break the quietness and nervous tension between the two. Eventually, she opened her mouth to say something, only to see Hyejoo doing the exact same thing. She couldn't help but let out an exasperated laugh, but the silence was now gone and she finally felt like she could talk.

“You go first, Hyejoo.” 

Hyejoo's mouth twitched up at one side, but shook her head. “I was only going to ask what we were going to be doing, but I think you were going to explain that.” 

Haseul laughed and ran her hand through her hair, nodding while she did it. “You would be right, Hyejoo.” She turned and began to walk to the passenger side of the car. “You’ll be coming with me to our second base, so I can talk you through what we do and what we are.” She reached the door and opened it, turning to face Hyejoo, who hadn't moved an inch. “Well, hop in!”

This spurred the ravenette into action and she followed Haseul to the passenger side, climbing into the car. She heard the door shut as she did her seatbelt and felt more than saw the other door open and Haseul climb into the car a moment later, doing her own. She did see Haseul reach into the glove compartment and pull out a blindfold, though. She frowned in confusion, panic making her heart beat wildly.

Haseul was quick to see the change of the other girl’s emotions, and rushed to soothe her worries. “This is just in case you change your mind. Precautions, you know?” She tried her best to smile, but it turned out looking more like a grimace to Hyejoo. It did the job though, as Hyejoo held out her hand for the blindfold and tried her best to smile in response.  
‘It’s better off this way’ Hyejoo reasoned, as she tied it around her eyes, feeling Haseul lightly squeeze her shoulder to comfort her. 

She felt the rumble of the engine through her entire body as Haseul started up the car, and her stomach lurched as they started driving. It couldn’t have been more than 10 minutes when the car came to a sudden stop, and Hyejoo swayed in place for a few seconds, hearing Haseul laugh next her before she was steadied. The laugh that was returned by Hyejoo was a surprise, even to the girl herself. Hyejoo trusted Haseul, she realised, and this sent her into a whole new laugh; giddiness making her light.

"You okay Hyejoo?" she heard Haseul ask, and could tell there was a smile on the brunette's face. It was evident in her voice.

"I'm fine, thanks. Just a little excited I guess," the lie was easy to say, but Hyejoo realised that was because it wasn't technically a lie. Hyejoo was excited to see where this was going, and a fire -hope- was burning in her chest.

The car moved as Haseul opened the door and unbuckled her seatbelt, exiting the vehicle. The door shut with a slam and it caused Hyejoo to flinch, but she immediately relaxed when her side opened and she felt hands at the back of her head. The blindfold fell, revealing Haseul's blinding smile in front of her. 

"It might take a little while for your eyes to adjust back to this, so we can sit here for a little if you'd like." Hyejoo felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment; not because she hated the attention, rather that she was unused to it. Her mother and father rarely had time anymore, so any affection was welcomed with open arms.

She hurriedly stood up and brushed down her jeans, trying to take attention away from her face, as she responded. "It's okay. My eyes are pretty good. We can move now."

When she raised her head again, Haseul had raised an eyebrow and was shaking her head. "Yeah. Of course, okay. But tell me if otherwise, okay?" She spun on her heel and began walking away.

Hyejoo yelped and closed the car door, trying to run after Haseul but her eyes were straining in the street lamp's light, making her a little slower out of caution. By the time she had caught up, Haseul was standing at the door to a… restaurant.

She realised that she had been there before, her Grandfather had chosen it as his favourite place to eat and liked to treat her when he could when she was younger. It had been a while since she had been there, but the red door and flowers in the windows looked just the same. The familiarity and nostalgia cocooned her, until she felt warm in the cold night. She said as much to Haseul.

"This place has been around for decades, but we only started using it for our purposes a few years ago. It's nice to know that you feel so strongly about this place already. With time… I hope you'll accept this as a home." The smile that was wide and bright moments ago, now was smaller, but no less genuine. It was sweeter, much more sentimental, and Hyejoo couldn't help but think that Haseul suited this smile very much.

Haseul knocked on the door, and the two waited until the letterbox opened and they saw two eyes through the gap. They stood in silence for a moment, until the person on the other side of the door spoke.

"What's the password?" Hyejoo was shocked to hear how young the other person -who sounded like a girl, but Hyejoo could only assume- sounded.

Haseul pinched the bridge of her nose, and sighed. "I know i told you to be more diligent but is this really the time? Could you just let us in?"

The person on the other side of the door laughed and Hyejoo could see a smirk as they moved around.

"Wrong answer, sis!" The letterbox shut as Haseul sighed again, just louder and more exasperated.

"It's Vivid." She was scowling, but Hyejoo could see a twinkle in her eye. Haseul was finding this funny. Hyejoo shook her head in equal parts awe and exasperation. What had she gotten herself into.

The door flew open in front of her, pulling her from her thoughts. A tiny girl stood there, a grin splitting her face in two. Two space buns sat atop her head, a lollypop in her hand as she rocked back and forth on her feet.

"Correct! Why didn't you just say that in the first place!" She said, still rocking. She spun to Hyejoo and turned her focus on her. "Who are you? Another newbie? Haseuuuuul, stop adopting people!" She whined.

Hyejoo blinked in shock as Haseul dragged the other girl away, having a quiet conversation the whole way. She could see the younger -again, she could only assume, but with how she acted, she was most likely correct- pout, and Haseul frown. She stood in awkward silence until Haseul turned and smiled reassuringly at her, and walked her way. The smaller girl pouted again, but waved at both Haseul and Hyejoo, before she disappeared behind a door leading to the rest of the restaurant.

"I'm really sorry you had to see that. Anyway, follow me. We're gonna head downstairs into the basement." Hyejoo nodded along to Haseul, and followed obediently as they walked to the back of the restaurant, to where the stairs for the basement were. Hyejoo only hesitated when she was standing at the top of the stairs, wondering briefly if she was following her own murderer. The thought left her mind as quickly as it came though, and she went after Haseul.

As they reached the basement, they walked through the freezer. Hyejoo could admit that she was getting more curious by the second, but this really was getting too much, even for her. She was about to ask if there was a chance that she could turn back, when Haseul stopped in front of another door, this one with a keypad. 

Haseul turned to Hyejoo with a serious face, much more seriousness than Hyejoo had seen her before. "Before we enter, I must ask you if you are certain about doing this. This isn't something you will be able to easily walk away from and I don't want you being here because you were forced to, Hyejoo. I won't judge you if you decide to walk away now."

Hyejoo nodded resolutely, and straightened her back, all anxieties washed away with new found confidence as she looked Haseul in the eye. "I'm certain."

Haseul nodded back and turned, punching in the pin. She pushed the door open and walked through, and what was Hyejoo to do but follow?


	3. The Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haseul and Hyejoo finally get down to business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took me forever to get out lmao. Honestly I'm not the best at keeping with the things I'm writing, but we're finally finished with this little introductory part! I hope You all enjoy reading this chapter! 
> 
> If there's any scenarios you want to see in this series, you can suggest them in the comments. I'm all ears!

The door opened and Hyejoo felt her breath catch in her throat. The space wasn’t very large, and overall wasn’t that imposing, but it was still impressing all the same. The floor was a cold steel, and giant boxes were strewn all around, filled with what? Hyejoo didn’t know. There were multiple separate rooms off to the sides of this main room, each with a different coloured door, and Haseul was striding towards the green door.

Hyejoo scurried along behind her, doing her best to keep up with the elder’s long strides. She kept her head down, focusing on Haseul’s feet and the floor beneath her. She was usually the confident type, but she knew that in unfamiliar territory it was better to keep your head down and stay safe until you knew the rights from the wrongs.

Haseuls nudged open the green door with her hip, and looked behind to see if Hyejoo was close, before she pushed it open all the way, revealing a blonde girl, sitting at a table, reading a newspaper. She lifted her head and suddenly all Hyejoo could see from over Haseul’s shoulder were gorgeous rich brown eyes, blinking in surprise. Hyejoo’s mind stood stagnant, caught on the image of the girl, while the blonde hurried to collect herself and stood up in front of Haseul.

“I’ll come back later to talk to you, Boss.” She said with a pleasant and gentle smile, before she walked out the door, brushing against Hyejoo’s shoulder as she did. 

Hyejoo’s senses returned to her like she had been hit by a truck, and she turned her head to look at Haseul with wide eyes. “...Boss?” She asked, the situation she was in suddenly becoming clearer.

Haseul smiled at Hyejoo, her lips taut at the sides as she looked worriedly at her. “I had hoped to tell you myself, but I suppose it was going to come out eventually. Please, sit.” She wandered over to the side of the table the blonde was sitting at and pulled out the chair for Hyejoo. 

Hyejoo stood there a few moments, looking between Haseul and the chair, before crossing over to the chair and sitting, scooting closer to the table. She could hear Haseul let out a sigh of relief and felt a small smile on her face, happy that had a least made Haseul feel a little better about this upcoming conversation. Hyejoo knew what was coming, she wasn’t dumb. She had put the pieces together as soon as Haseul had confirmed that she was, indeed, a Boss. Hyejoo was about to have a meeting with the Leader of Loona.

“That girl right there, you’ll get to see her again if you’ll hear me out, Hyejoo,” Haseul started, making her way to her own chair, in her -what Hyejoo now knew- own office. Hyejoo nodded from across the table and leant back in her chair, crossing her arms, trying to keep herself from fiddling with her hands out of nervousness. 

“Have you ever heard of Loona, the gang?” Olivia nodded her head and made an effort to make sure her face gave nothing away. Haseul, to her credit, didn’t try to condescend Hyejoo with her explanations. She knew Hyejoo knew. “I know we have a bad reputation, but I promise what you hear, isn’t what we do, or what our aim is-” she gestured to the many newspapers on the desk; Hyejoo picked one up.

‘Police shooting, 3 dead, 2 injured’.

A post-it-note on top of another newspaper to the left read ‘Case turned down by Officer Park’.

“You know the Police around here aren’t sinless. There are so many cases they turn down, or things they do, because of-” Here Haseul stuttered, frustration practically seeping out of her, “of bribes, or just because they don’t care enough. That’s what Loona is here for. We take those cases and deal out Justice, we protect these streets for those living here.”

Hyejoo nods and leans forward, placing her elbows on the table. “So why am I here?” She suspected the reason, of course, but it was good to hear it, to have it confirmed.

Haseuls eyes meet her own across the table, and some of the mad tension that Haseul had gained left her body. “The same thing I said by the car. I want to give you an alternative, a better chance at a better life.” A conspiratorial smile forms on her face, “Your skills are also undeniable, I think you’d fit in here. You’d find happiness in our little family.”

There was a pause, and Hyejoo used the moment to think over her decision. Honestly thinking over it, Hyejoo could see a clear winner. Haseul opened her mouth to speak again, “I can give you a few more days to deci-”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ve decided.” Haseul blinked at her over the table, her mouth still partially open. Olivia, looked over the newspapers in front of her and a frown tugged at her own lips, before she looked up at her Haseul with determination. “I’ll join you. Obviously. This is important.”

Haseul laughed, a little hysterically, while looking right back at Hyejoo. “You might be the easiest recruitment I’ve ever done.” Her laugh died down into giggles, before eventually just leaving behind a relieved smile. “You’ll need a name.”

“I’ve already got one in mind.” Hyejoo lifted her head and straightened her back. “How does Olivia Hye sound?”


End file.
